After some thought, here are what I consider to be the principal
considerations when it comes to what I look for in wine.

1. Wine should reflect its place of origin. If a particular wine
tastes like it could come from California, Italy, Spain or Chile, I am
not interested, no matter how well made.

2. Wine should reflect the grape(s) it's made from. Pinot Noir should
have a taste distinct from that of Syrah and Sauvignon Blanc shouldn't
be easily mistaken for Chardonnay. Wine should showcase the distinct
character of each grape.

3. Wine should reflect the year that it's made. Each year is unique,
and the wine produced in that year should reflect those differences.
Put another way, not every year is a "great" year and even off years can
produce interesting and attractive wines.

3. The role of the winemaker is to bring forth those first three factors
rather than imprinting the wine with a "house style."

4. The wine should be capable of pairing with food. Wines that are
excessively alcoholic or deficient in acid rarely interact well with
food. While they may be acceptable as aperitifs or digestifs, that's
not how I usually consume wine.

5. Vive la difference! Depending on the place, grape and year, a wine
could be dry, off-dry or sweet. It's up to me as the consumer to decide
what kinds of wine I want; wines shouldn't try to conform to some
perception of my own preferences.

6. Wine should be an everyday beverage, so not every wine I buy is
intended to be an earth-shattering experience. There is room in my
cellar for simple, honest, ready-to-drink wines in addition to wines
destined to be "great."

I post these preferences mostly as a starting point for discussion. Do
you subscribe to these views? Do you have additional factors you
consider? Do you have entirely different views?

Mark Lipton
Europhilic palate-at-large

--
alt.food.wine FAQ: RIP cwdjrx

On Friday, January 11, 2019 at 10:14:42 PM UTC+1, Mark Lipton wrote:
> After some thought, here are what I consider to be the principal
> considerations when it comes to what I look for in wine.
>
> 1. Wine should reflect its place of origin. If a particular wine
> tastes like it could come from California, Italy, Spain or Chile, I am
> not interested, no matter how well made.
>
> 2. Wine should reflect the grape(s) it's made from. Pinot Noir should
> have a taste distinct from that of Syrah and Sauvignon Blanc shouldn't
> be easily mistaken for Chardonnay. Wine should showcase the distinct
> character of each grape.
>
> 3. Wine should reflect the year that it's made. Each year is unique,
> and the wine produced in that year should reflect those differences.
> Put another way, not every year is a "great" year and even off years can
> produce interesting and attractive wines.
>
> 3. The role of the winemaker is to bring forth those first three factors
> rather than imprinting the wine with a "house style."
>
> 4. The wine should be capable of pairing with food. Wines that are
> excessively alcoholic or deficient in acid rarely interact well with
> food. While they may be acceptable as aperitifs or digestifs, that's
> not how I usually consume wine.
>
> 5. Vive la difference! Depending on the place, grape and year, a wine
> could be dry, off-dry or sweet. It's up to me as the consumer to decide
> what kinds of wine I want; wines shouldn't try to conform to some
> perception of my own preferences.
>
> 6. Wine should be an everyday beverage, so not every wine I buy is
> intended to be an earth-shattering experience. There is room in my
> cellar for simple, honest, ready-to-drink wines in addition to wines
> destined to be "great."
>
> I post these preferences mostly as a starting point for discussion. Do
> you subscribe to these views? Do you have additional factors you
> consider? Do you have entirely different views?
>
> Mark Lipton
> Europhilic palate-at-large
>

I approve unconditionally; where does one sign?

cheers and happy new year all

Mike

On Friday, January 11, 2019 at 4:14:42 PM UTC-5, Mark Lipton wrote:
> After some thought, here are what I consider to be the principal
> considerations when it comes to what I look for in wine.
>
> 1. Wine should reflect its place of origin. If a particular wine
> tastes like it could come from California, Italy, Spain or Chile, I am
> not interested, no matter how well made.
>
> 2. Wine should reflect the grape(s) it's made from. Pinot Noir should
> have a taste distinct from that of Syrah and Sauvignon Blanc shouldn't
> be easily mistaken for Chardonnay. Wine should showcase the distinct
> character of each grape.
>
> 3. Wine should reflect the year that it's made. Each year is unique,
> and the wine produced in that year should reflect those differences.
> Put another way, not every year is a "great" year and even off years can
> produce interesting and attractive wines.
>
> 3. The role of the winemaker is to bring forth those first three factors
> rather than imprinting the wine with a "house style."
>
> 4. The wine should be capable of pairing with food. Wines that are
> excessively alcoholic or deficient in acid rarely interact well with
> food. While they may be acceptable as aperitifs or digestifs, that's
> not how I usually consume wine.
>
> 5. Vive la difference! Depending on the place, grape and year, a wine
> could be dry, off-dry or sweet. It's up to me as the consumer to decide
> what kinds of wine I want; wines shouldn't try to conform to some
> perception of my own preferences.
>
> 6. Wine should be an everyday beverage, so not every wine I buy is
> intended to be an earth-shattering experience. There is room in my
> cellar for simple, honest, ready-to-drink wines in addition to wines
> destined to be "great."
>
> I post these preferences mostly as a starting point for discussion. Do
> you subscribe to these views? Do you have additional factors you
> consider? Do you have entirely different views?
>
> Mark Lipton
> Europhilic palate-at-large
>
> --
> alt.food.wine FAQ: RIP cwdjrx

Not surprisingly this reflects my views overall. I thought about doing some snarky objections ( Wine should showcase the distinct
character of each grape. - UNLESS it's Marechal Foch, Catawba, Viognier or Grenache- just kidding I like Rayas) but really nothing to argue with. .

On Saturday, January 12, 2019 at 6:47:18 PM UTC-5, DaleW wrote:

> >
> > 3. The role of the winemaker is to bring forth those first three factors
> > rather than imprinting the wine with a "house style."
> >
Ok thinking further I guess I'd qualify my agreement with this one (your second "3" )
There are quite few producers I love who have definite "house styles" (whether based on stem inclusion, barrel choices, harvesting choices, or whatever) - Dujac, Fourrier, the Cotats, Ridge, and many others. While I think all of these producers reflect grape, locale, and vintage, I do think they all certainly have distinct house styles that are sometimes easier to spot blind than say vintage.

And of course I can love NV Champagne in the house styles I prefer (Taittinger over Krug for me)

On 1/12/19 7:03 PM, DaleW wrote:
> On Saturday, January 12, 2019 at 6:47:18 PM UTC-5, DaleW wrote:
>
>>>
>>> 3. The role of the winemaker is to bring forth those first three factors
>>> rather than imprinting the wine with a "house style."
>>>
> Ok thinking further I guess I'd qualify my agreement with this one (your second "3" )
> There are quite few producers I love who have definite "house styles" (whether based on stem inclusion, barrel choices, harvesting choices, or whatever) - Dujac, Fourrier, the Cotats, Ridge, and many others. While I think all of these producers reflect grape, locale, and vintage, I do think they all certainly have distinct house styles that are sometimes easier to spot blind than say vintage.
>
> And of course I can love NV Champagne in the house styles I prefer (Taittinger over Krug for me)

Hah! There was a little voice in my head when I wrote that one saying
"but you love the wines of Dujac!" I do confess that my love for Ridge
has diminished for just this reason, but -- yes -- there are those
producers whose house style I don't find offputting. And, yes,
Champagne is always the big exception. These days, though, I do tend to
gravitate to grower Champagnes. It's not entirely clear to me yet
whether they have such rigid house styles as the big houses.

Mark Lipton


--
alt.food.wine FAQ: http://winefaq.cwdjr.net